she had everything
by imagined-experiences
Summary: Love triangle Blaise/Astoria/Draco. Not epilogue compliant, set after the war. Astoria and Draco are in Spain after running away from England.


A/N : This was written for the love triangle challenge. Not epilogue compliant.

Thanks wvvampire for beta-reading it!

Leave me your thoughts in a review :)

* * *

The end of the war was here, and the long list of trials began. Most of the pure blood families were broken and a special bound joined them, a pariah bound.

The Greengrass' had lost everything. The father was accused of having financially supported the Dark Lord, and everyone could admit that it was a security matter. But the judges were tired of hearing that excuse, and as a gesture of goodwill, the Greengrass' fortune had been distributed to those in need. Of course, money was left, but it was not the same. Richard, Tamber, and their daughter Astoria moved to a little wizard community in Spain where no one knew them.

The Malfoy's used another strategy to avoid Azkaban. Unexpected testimonies -Harry Potter, and Dumbledore and Snape's portraits had soon whitened Draco and Narcissa. Lucius, on the other hand, was another affair. He had been sentenced to fifteen years in Azkaban. But with the right amount of money and an unlocked door, the three Malfoy's were on the run, direction Spain.

----

The small town at the French border was only occupied by wizards. It was a small autonomic community, which had never taken a side in the war. Thus, the names of Malfoy and Greengrass weren't familiar to them. The Spanish wizards suspected things, but they had the tact to never ask. They were not a threat for them, and it was enough.

The Greengrass' had been there for a week when the Malfoy's joined them in the hotel of the town.

The two younger British wizards were in the hotel's common room.

"My parents said that we will not report your father to the wizengamot," announced Astoria to Draco while he was looking through the window.

"I know."

They both stayed there, staring at the outside world, sodden. They were trapped inside because of the snow, but it was the symbol of it that irritated them. They had to stay in a foreign country, not even speaking the language, and it was because of the stupid 'light' side. And that stupid snow was as immaculate as the stupid light side.

The two fair-skinned British stood out in the middle of olive skins, dark-eyed wizards. They soon found themselves together often, being the only English speakers there. The other young people tried to bondwith them. Thus, Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy were often seen at the winter-beach parties thrown by Jàvier, the only wizard capable to converse in an approximate English.

"What do you do, to have to run away from Inglaterra?" asked Jàvier to them, one night were they were all drunk enough to finally bring up the subject.

"We supported you-know-who," answered Astoria.

"You-, who?" replied Jàvier.

"The Dark Lord, the one who killed all those muggles. I thought that muggles and muggle-borns were inferior to us," this time it was Draco who answered.

"Ah, and do you still support him?"

Both shrugged their shoulders, and the subject was closed.

That night, Draco and Astoria stayed later than usual and found themselves alone, thinking about Jàvier's question.

"Do you still support His ideas?" murmured Astoria.

He looked at her before answering, "No, I think I never really agreed with His ideas. I guess I was lost." He was now staring at the ocean.

"I understand, you know. Even if father agreed with Him, mum always taught us, Daphne and I, that blood was not a prejudice when it comes to boys. If a boy is rich enough, the blood doesn't matter. Though she never said that in front of him," she laughed.

They stayed silent for a moment.

"Did you really have to kill Dumbledore like they said at your trial?" she went on, breaking the silence.

Draco took a deep breath before answering, "I couldn't."

"It must had been difficult for you, I'm impressed that you didn't end up making a big mistake," she said.

"A mistake other than accepting the Dark Mark?"

"I was thinking about you actually killing Dumbledore, or ...even yourself."

They both rose from the sand and walked silently toward the hotel.

That conversation opened the door to various similar ones. They discussed being surrounded by Death Eaters, about how they survived their last year at Hogwarts, with the Carrows. Their old life was behind them, and neither of them missed it.

They spent their time between France and Spain, from parties on the beach to excursion in the muggle world with Jàvier. It wasn't the expensive lifestyle that they had in England, but it was good, and they couldn't have anything else anyway.

The winter turned into spring, and the month of April was warmer than in England. The most courageous people even dared bathing in the ocean like Astoria did. Draco found that the swimming suit looked great on her pale skin. It was early in the year, and her skin and his for that matter were still white and clashed with their olive-skinned friends.

June and Draco's birthday passed, with the smallest amounts of gifts it ever had. He only received small gifts from his new friends and Astoria, but the party was great. The life seemed unreal for them. Theylived in bubble, not knowing anything of the exterior word. He comforted her when she cried because she was missing her sister, who had stayed in England with her boyfriend. She had cried because she wasn't living her dream but she was happy, and she just couldn't understand it.

One afternoon, they were in south France, watching muggles dragging on waves, when Jàvier approached Draco with a question.

"Are you and Astoria together?" he casually asked, "Because if you aren't, I'd like to ask her out."

Draco looked at her, in the distance, trying to talk with Jàvier's cousin.

"Yes, actually, we're together," he replied. _She just doesn't know that yet_, he added for himself.

Later in the day, he took her apart from the group.

"I told Jàvier that we are dating," he simply informed her.

"Oh, really. Without even asking me first?"

"Exactly. We could be together, here, enjoying life and what we have."

"Aren't you going to ask me what I think about that?"

She was offended and curious. She already thought about that eventuality, they had been here for almost a year now, and they spent most of their time together. But the situation seemed impossible to her. He had no money, worked in a Spanish administration and even if she wanted him, they couldn't be dating, it was unreasonable.

"I do not need to know it," he said before kissing her, something he restrained himself for a long time.

She answered the kiss before slapping him.

"Do you really think we could date? I can't stay here any longer. You don't realize, but what we're living here is not real! We have no money! We have no social life! You have to realize that this is just holidays! I'm going back to London I have to. I want to have a great life, and what I have here is just an illusion. A small villa with only two bedrooms is not a house for Merlin's sake!"

Her tirade made no sense to him, but before he could reach for her, she had left. The day after their argument, she was back in England, with her sister.

----

She was finally enjoying real parties, in manors, not on the beach. She once again wore the finest robes and dresses. Her bracelet was made of rubies, courtesy of her sister's boyfriend when he saw her wearing the ugly shell-made one that Lola had given her.

The first month passed by, and she didn't miss Spain, her parents or Draco. She was back in her old lifestyle, and that was all that mattered to her. Daphne was going to marry Adrian the next week, and her parents hadn't answered the invitation yet, they were fine in Spain with no money: great good for them! Astoria was not a fool; she understood that she needed to be in England to be someone.

She had met Blaise Zabini two months after coming back. He was handsome and rich, and gave her all she had always dreamed of.

She was invited to all the balls and celebrations; she wore the latest trends and had all the jewelry to match. All the other girls were jealous, but still deep in her gut she felt that something was missing.

When she was in his dark arms, it seemed that her skin clashed with his. His eyes were too dark, and his I love you's were to smooth. She was living her dream, but she wasn't happy, and she couldn't understand it.

Blaise Zabini truly adored her, he lived for her, but it wasn't enough. She cried every night, feeling sick and bad, but no one was there to comfort her. Blaise tried, he proposed that she visit her parents in Spain, to buy her new robes, but his words were not satisfying for Astoria. She missed something; someone though she didn't know it.

Finally, Blaise proposed her. She thought that it was what she had been missing, a big diamond ring on her finger, light kisses on her neck, and a wedding in front of hundreds of guests.

Her parents had shown up, happy and lighthearted; when she was only _looking_ happy and lighthearted.

None of the Malfoy's came, their name was still depreciated in England. She hadn't invited them, fearing the disgrace they would bring. The Zabini name was respected at the ministry and an association with former Death Eaters would have been a ruin for them.

After the wedding, she received a letter from Draco. At first she thought it was a congratulatory note, but it was not.

_Astoria,_

_I know it's probably too late to send that letter, but reacting to and understanding_ _things on time has_ _never been my forte._

_Blaise told me about the wedding. You know, he had been a friend of mine back in Hogwarts. I can't lie to you and say that I'm happy for you. We spent a year together and I feel like I know you more than you do. You're missing_ _something and I know what it is. Come back to me and you'll understand that you are missing life._

_You're young and foolish but you need to understand that if you want to be happy, you need to come_ _back here. We were fine, and it was not an illusion. Maybe you didn't have the money you use to own, but you did have_ _a life, a_ _happy one._

_I'll not stop living because of you, but you have to know that you'll always have_ _at home in the two-bedroom_ _villa._

_No one has to crawl,_

_Draco Malfoy_

_"What a coward to try to teach me_ _life lessons in a letter,"_ she thought. She was persuaded that he was acting young and foolish, being satisfied with what he had. She let her mind wonder to what her life would be like if she had stayed with him, or if she came back. But she shook away those crazy thoughts and watched the diamond ring sparkle on her finger. At least, it was a sure bet. She crumbled the letter, and tried to forget it.

-----

Astoria had everything she ever dreamed to possess. She had a respectful job, a high position at the ministry, she had money, she was one of the women the most envied and admired in wizard England, but still she cried, quietly, every night in the loving arms of Blaise, who never knew about his wife nightly break downs.

And the worst thing was, she never understood what she missed, because, in her mind, she had everything.


End file.
